The best Japanese restaurants in Melbourne

The former Madame Brussels site on Bourke Street has been reborn as one of Melbourne’s most theatrical dining venues. Inspired by Tokyo’s 1980s disco era, Disuko wraps a vibrant izakaya around an eight-metre cocktail bar, a rooftop terrace with sweeping city views and a private penthouse dining room. Head Chef Hung Hoa Duong, formerly of Nobu and Kisumé, leads a menu where the filet-o-ebi sando and miso udon carbonara share billing with an intimate eight-seat omakase counter serving 10–12 courses of sushi and sashimi. A vinyl DJ soundtrack runs all night. Book a table at Disuko and let the atmosphere carry the rest of the evening.

A pine-piece ceiling installation — hundreds of hanging pieces that ripple like wind chimes when the door opens — announces straight away that Bounty of the Sun is doing things differently in Balaclava. Founded by Ryo Doyama, Eben Hocking and Bill Stafilis, this contemporary izakaya channels neighbourhood café warmth, with staff who aim to know regulars by name and order. The kitchen delivers chicken nanban with sweet-and-sour broth, kingfish sashimi with ponzu and jalapeño and DIY Ora King salmon hand rolls, with a Feed Me banquet ready for groups. Book a seat at this Balaclava original.

Since 2013, this Chapel Street institution has been Windsor’s most spirited love letter to izakaya culture. The menu leans playful and social — snack, sip and stay a while — with the salmon nori taco that started it all still firmly on the menu years on. A four-course Feed Me set keeps the table buzzing, and two private dining spaces handle groups from intimate to sizeable. Mr. Miyagi rewards those who arrive without a plan. Come to Chapel Street and find out why the love letter has had so many sequels.

Federation Square gives Chocolate Buddha one of the most distinctive settings in the CBD. Sitting on the corner of Swanston and Flinders Streets in one of Melbourne’s busiest public spaces, the restaurant channels that energy into express sushi and casual Japanese cooking, executed with the ease and accessibility the Square’s constant flow of visitors calls for. Whether the occasion is a pre-show bite or a post-gallery lunch, the kitchen is ready. Head to Federation Square and sit down for a satisfying Japanese meal in the centre of the city.

Few Melbourne dining rooms carry quite as much character as the converted Art Deco bank on Lygon Street that Kumo Izakaya calls home. The soaring interior — featuring handcrafted ceramics, a mezzanine level and a tatami private dining room — houses a kitchen led by chefs Akimi Iguchi and Eriko Hamabe, whose menu spans slow-cooked wagyu beef rib with chimichurri, kingfish carpaccio with yuzu ponzu and mentai udon. A sake bar programme led by Andre Bishop is among Melbourne’s most considered. Reserve a spot at this Lygon Street izakaya and see why regulars keep coming back.

Along Smith Street in Collingwood, Wabi Sabi Salon has quietly built one of the inner north’s most loyal followings. The restaurant spans several zones — front stools, main dining room, a mezzanine level and a small Japanese garden out back — creating an unhurried atmosphere well-suited to long, slow meals. Tan tan ramen, chicken karaage teishoku and pork ribs anchor a menu with extensive vegan and gluten-free options and a curated sake list. Head to Smith Street for Japanese dining that rewards taking your time.

Retro Showa-era aesthetics and handmade Japanese dumplings define this Collingwood restaurant. Chotto Motto bills itself as a celebration of Japanese food, drinks, retro vibes and local culture — and the premise holds up. Gyoza are made fresh daily, anchoring a flavour-forward menu with real range. The restaurant also produces its own pantry line — crispy chilli oil, yuzu hot sauce and Japanese curry chicken salt — available in-house and online. Pull up a seat in Collingwood and see what the small-range, big-flavours philosophy delivers in person.

The name explains the concept precisely: marble for marbling score, yakiniku for the chargrill. Marble Yakiniku in Glen Waverley earned One Hat recognition from The Age Good Food Guide in both 2023 and 2024, cementing its place as one of Melbourne’s standout Japanese dining destinations beyond the CBD. The omakase counter, wagyu BBQ programme and sake bar draw diners from across the city, with a seasonal course menu and a premium wagyu course as the headline draws for those ready to commit fully. Book a reservation at this award-winning Glen Waverley restaurant — the journey is well worth making.

Within the GPO Postal Lane precinct on Bourke Street, Izakaya Domo brings the spirit of a Tokyo yokocho alleyway bar to the Melbourne CBD. The menu runs the izakaya spectrum: fresh sashimi, sushi, yakitori skewers, wagyu tataki, ramen and chicken karaage, all built for sharing and suited to a lively night out. Japanese beer, sake and highballs keep pace on the drinks side. Find your way into GPO Postal Lane and stake a claim at one of the city’s most distinctive Japanese bars.

Miso-based ramen and a thoughtfully curated sake list set the agenda at Misoya Sake Bar, a neighbourhood fixture on Sydney Road in Brunswick. Exposed brick walls, a long communal table, a charming courtyard and background jazz create a warm, unhurried setting that suits the format well. The kogashi miso ramen and tantanmen are standout bowls, with pork gyoza and vegetable tempura alongside. The sake programme spans classic and emerging Japanese producers — a fine excuse to linger. Take a seat on Sydney Road and let the evening unfold over noodles and sake.

Classical Japanese technique defines the kitchen at Kicho in Black Rock, where a quiet, understated dining room reflects an aesthetic of simplicity and restraint befitting the bayside location. Earning recognition from The Age Good Food Guide over many years, Kicho is one of Melbourne’s most enduring suburban Japanese dining destinations, with sashimi, nigiri sushi, carefully prepared grilled fish and chawanmushi delivered with care and consistency. It is the kind of restaurant that earns long-term loyalty from those who discover it. Book a table in Black Rock and find out why the bayside faithful keep returning.

At 258 Lonsdale Street in the Melbourne CBD, NIKULAND brings joyful, hands-on energy to Japanese BBQ dining. Drawing on Japan’s teppanyaki and yakiniku traditions, the centrepiece is the 100% wagyu hikiniku don — freshly ground wagyu hamburg steak, charcoal-seared to order on a sizzling iron plate and served with hagama-cooked rice, house-made sauces and seasonal sides. Featured in Broadsheet Melbourne as a fresh take on Japanese BBQ culture, the concept is reassuringly simple: grill, mix, dip and savour. Make your way to Lonsdale Street for Melbourne’s most playful Japanese BBQ experience.